ABSTRACT
The monastic complex known in historical sources as Garejis k'ueqana - The land of Gareja' - is spread over almost 120 km12 of the south-eastern corner of Georgia, and comprises more than twenty rock-cut monasteries and hermitages.1 The description of the monastic complex as a 'land' reflects not only its scale, but also its significance for the country. The first monastery, the Lavra, was established in the mid sixth-century by one of the so-called Thirteen Syrian Fathers', St Davit', and his disciples, and was adapted to the environment and severe climate of the semi-desert. Over the centuries other monasteries and hermitages were established in other regions of the desert, and it became one of the largest spiritual centres in Georgia. Gareja was also the site of intense literary activity as well as of an original, local school of wall painting. Close links between the Garejan monasteries and spiritual centres elsewhere in the Byzantine and east Christian worlds can be traced in historical sources and hagiog raphy, as well as in epigraphy and art.2
